U-Isaya 1
1 Umbono kaIsaya indodana kaAmozi, awubona ngoJuda leJerusalema, ensukwini zaboUziya, uJothamu, uAhazi, uHezekhiya, amakhosi akoJuda.
The vision of Isaiah, the son of Amoz, which he saw about Judah and Jerusalem, in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah.
2 Zwanini, mazulu, ubeke indlebe, mhlaba, ngoba iNkosi isikhulumile, yathi: Ngondlile ngakhulisa abantwana, kodwa bona bangivukele.
Give ear, O heavens, and you, O earth, to the word which the Lord has said: I have taken care of my children till they became men, but their hearts have been turned away from me.
3 Inkabi iyamazi umniniyo, lobabhemi umkolo womnikazi wakhe; kodwa uIsrayeli kazi, abantu bami kabaqedisisi.
Even the ox has knowledge of its owner, and the ass of the place where its master puts its food: but Israel has no knowledge, my people give no thought to me.
4 Hawu, isizwe esonayo, abantu abasindwa yibubi, inzalo yabenzi bobubi, abantwana abonakalisayo! Bayitshiyile iNkosi, bamdelele oNgcwele kaIsrayeli, bahlehlele nyovane.
O nation full of sin, a people weighted down with crime, a generation of evil-doers, false-hearted children: they have gone away from the Lord, they have no respect for the Holy One of Israel, their hearts are turned back from him.
5 Lizatshayelwani futhi? Belizaqhubeka livukela; ikhanda lonke liyagula, lenhliziyo yonke ibuthakathaka.
Why will you have more and more punishment? why keep on in your evil ways? Every head is tired and every heart is feeble.
6 Kusukela kungaphansi yonyawo kuze kufike ekhanda kakulandawo ephilileyo kukho, kodwa izilonda lemivimvinya lamanxeba ophayo; kakukhanywanga, kakubotshwanga, kakuthanjiswanga ngamafutha.
The body, from head to foot, is all diseased; it is a mass of open wounds, marks of blows, and broken flesh: the flow of blood has not been stopped, and no oil has been put on the wounds.
7 Ilizwe lakini liyincithakalo, imizi yenu itshiswe ngomlilo, umhlaba wenu abezizwe bawudla phambi kwenu, njalo kulencithakalo, njengokugenqulwa ngabemzini.
Your country has become waste; your towns are burned with fire; as for your land, it is overturned before your eyes, made waste and overcome by men from strange lands.
8 Indodakazi yeZiyoni isele-ke njengedumba esivinini, njengengalane ensimini yamakhomane, njengomuzi ovinjezelweyo.
And the daughter of Zion has become like a tent in a vine-garden, like a watchman's house in a field of fruit, like a town shut in by armies.
9 Uba iNkosi yamabandla ibingasitshiyelanga insali eyingcosana, besizakuba njengeSodoma, sifanane leGomora.
If the Lord of armies had not kept some at least of us safe, we would have been like Sodom, and the fate of Gomorrah would have been ours.
10 Zwanini ilizwi leNkosi, babusi beSodoma, libeke indlebe kumlayo kaNkulunkulu wethu, bantu beGomora.
Give ear to the word of the Lord, you rulers of Sodom; let your hearts be turned to the law of our God, you people of Gomorrah.
11 Buyini kimi ubunengi bemihlatshelo yenu? itsho iNkosi. Ngenelisiwe yiminikelo yokutshiswa yezinqama langamahwahwa okunonisiweyo; legazi lamajongosi lelamawundlu lelezimpongo kangithokozi ngalo.
What use to me is the number of the offerings which you give me? says the Lord; your burned offerings of sheep, and the best parts of fat cattle, are a weariness to me; I take no pleasure in the blood of oxen, or of lambs, or of he-goats.
12 Lapho lisizabonakala phambi kwami, ngubani obize lokhu esandleni senu, ukugxoba amaguma ami?
At whose request do you come before me, making my house unclean with your feet?
13 Lingabe lisaletha umnikelo oyize; impepha iyisinengiso kimi; ukuthwasa kwenyanga, lesabatha, ukubizwa kwenhlangano, ngingekumele; kuyisiphambeko, ngitsho umhlangano onzulu.
Give me no more false offerings; the smoke of burning flesh is disgusting to me, so are your new moons and Sabbaths and your holy meetings.
14 Umphefumulo wami uyakuzonda ukuthwasa kwezinyanga zenu lemikhosi yenu emisiweyo; kungumthwalo kimi, sengikhathele yikukuthwala.
Your new moons and your regular feasts are a grief to my soul: they are a weight in my spirit; I am crushed under them.
15 Lalapho liselula izandla zenu ngizalifihlela amehlo ami; njalo nxa lisandisa umkhuleko kangiyikuzwa; izandla zenu zigcwele igazi.
And when your hands are stretched out to me, my eyes will be turned away from you: even though you go on making prayers, I will not give ear: your hands are full of blood.
16 Gezani, lizihlambulule; susani ububi bezenzo zenu phambi kwamehlo ami; yekelani ukwenza okubi;
Be washed, make yourselves clean; put away the evil of your doings from before my eyes; let there be an end of sinning;
17 fundani ukwenza okuhle; dingani isahlulelo; sizani ocindezelweyo; yehlulelani intandane; melani umfelokazi.
Take pleasure in well-doing; let your ways be upright, keep down the cruel, give a right decision for the child who has no father, see to the cause of the widow.
18 Wozani khathesi, siqondisane, itsho iNkosi; loba izono zenu zinjengokubomvu gebhu, zizakuba mhlophe njengeliqhwa elikhithikileyo; loba zibomvu njengokubomvu kakhulu, zizakuba njengoboya bezimvu.
Come now, and let us have an argument together, says the Lord: how may your sins which are red like blood be white as snow? how may their dark purple seem like wool?
19 Uba livuma lilalela, lizakudla okuhle kwelizwe;
If you will give ear to my word and do it, the good things of the land will be yours;
20 kodwa uba lisala libe lenkani, lizadliwa yinkemba; ngoba umlomo weNkosi ukhulumile.
But if your hearts are turned against me, I will send destruction on you by the sword; so the Lord has said.
21 Yeka, umuzi othembekileyo usube liwule! Wawugcwele isahlulelo, ukulunga kwakuhlezi kuwo, kodwa khathesi ababulali.
The upright town has become untrue; there was a time when her judges gave right decisions, when righteousness had a resting-place in her, but now she is full of those who take men's lives.
22 Isiliva sakho sesibe ngamanyele; iwayini lakho laxubana lamanzi.
Your silver is no longer true metal, your wine is mixed with water.
23 Iziphathamandla zakho zingabahlamuki labangane bamasela; ngulowo lalowo uthanda isipho, azingele izivalamlomo; kazehluleli izintandane, lendaba yomfelokazi kayifiki kuzo.
Your chiefs have gone against the Lord, they have become friends of thieves; every one of them is looking for profit and going after rewards; they do not give right decisions for the child who has no father, and they do not let the cause of the widow come before them.
24 Ngakho itsho iNkosi, iNkosi yamabandla, oLamandla wakoIsrayeli: E, ngizaziduduza ngezitha zami, ngiziphindisele kwabamelana lami.
For this reason the Lord, the Lord of armies, the Strong One of Israel, has said, I will put an end to my haters, and send punishment on those who are against me;
25 Ngizabuyisela isandla sami phezu kwakho, ngicwengisise amanyele akho, ngisuse yonke ingcekeza yokucwengwa kwakho.
And my hand will again be on you, washing away what is unclean as with soap, and taking away all your false metal;
26 Ngizabuyisela abahluleli bakho njengekuqaleni, labeluleki bakho njengakuqala; emva kwalokho ubizwe ngokuthi ngumuzi wokulunga, umuzi othembekileyo.
And I will give you judges again as at the first, and wise guides as in the past; then you will be named, The Town of Righteousness, the true town.
27 IZiyoni izahlengwa ngesahlulelo, labaphendukayo bayo ngokulunga.
Upright acts will be the price of Zion's forgiveness, and by righteousness will men be living there.
28 Lokwephulwa kwabaphambuki lokwezoni kuzakuba kanyekanye, labadela iNkosi baqedwe.
But a common destruction will overtake sinners and evil-doers together, and those who have gone away from the Lord will be cut off.
29 Ngoba bazakuba lenhloni ngezihlahla zama-okhi elaliziloyisa, liyangeke ngezivande elizikhethileyo.
For you will be put to shame because of the trees of your desire, and because of the gardens of your pleasure.
30 Ngoba lizakuba njengesihlahla se-okhi omahlamvu aso ayabuna, lanjengesivande esingelamanzi.
For you will be like a tree whose leaves have become dry, and like a garden without water.
31 Njalo olamandla uzakuba lifilakisi eliyizibi, lomenzi walo abe yinhlansi; njalo kuzakutsha kokubili kanyekanye, kungabi khona ocitshayo.
And the strong will be as food for the fire, and his work as a flame; and they will be burned together, with no one to put out the fire.
